A Night In The Limelight
by Moranth
Summary: Kolyat and Thane have an evening out on the Citadel that doesn't go how either of them planned. A side story from Feet Of Clay.
1. Chapter 1

Kolyat didn't want to be here. He wasn't even sure why he'd agreed to meet his dad in the first place. He didn't owe the old man anything. He'd already listened to what he had to say after he'd stopped him from killing that politician and he felt that was more than enough.

His father had talked at length about things that Kolyat had been too young to understand at the time: his job, the Compact, his mother

In the back of his mind, he knew that his mother would want him to give his father another chance, so he was going to do it. Not for Thane, but for her, but that didn't mean he had to like it.

Kolyat stepped into Dark Star after his shift at C-Sec ended, half expecting Thane not to be there. He stayed by the door, ready to make a quick exit when he spotted him. He wouldn't have recognized him, if it hadn't been for the scarcity of drell on the Citadel. This was not the man he knew. Thane was sitting at the bar, his back no longer ramrod straight, his hands moving in a flurry as he talked animatedly with his closest neighbor: Shepard.

Shepard spotted him first and Thane followed his line of sight until his gaze landed on him. His last chance to run had now drifted away.

Kolyat strode over to the duo like a man condemned. His arm stung with the memory of his encounter with Shepard. He frowned, not bothering to hide his dislike of the human and turned towards his father, the lesser of two evils. He opened his mouth to speak and was clapped hard on the back, almost knocking the wind out of him. He staggered, gripping onto the bar to keep from falling over.

"My son!" Thane said as he gripped his shoulder tightly with a laugh. The sound was loud and hearty and totally alien to Kolyat's ears.

"Are you ready to go?" Thane asked, as he beamed broadly at him. Kolyat only nodded, his mind struggling to keep up as Thane slid from the stool and drained his glass.

Who was this man and what had he done with his father?

Thane wrapped his arm around his shoulders as they made their way out of the club and into the night.

Thane had insisted that Kolyat make the plans for the evening and that would be his downfall if Kolyat had his way. He'd treat Thane to an evening so atrocious, so abhorrent that he'd think twice about contacting him again. Sure it wouldn't be a cake walk for him either, as he'd have to be there and go through the same treatment he was subjecting Thane to, but it had to be convincing. He hoped it would be worth it.

First was dinner.

Having little to no money when he'd first arrived on the Citadel, Kolyat had eaten at a lot of cheap and questionable places; all of them bad, but one of them really took the cake.

It was lauded as being able to cater to all species, but with it being in the lower wards, and for the prices it offered, Kolyat found it hard to believe. On his first visit, he'd witnessed several turian patrons become so violently ill that they need to be hospitalized.

As they stepped through the vestibule, Kolyat's nose was assaulted by a medley of putrid odors wafting from the kitchen. It was enough to make his eyes water and almost had him reconsider his plan of action.

_No, _he thought._ Have to tough it out. Just get through tonight and he's out of my life for good._

They found a table as far from the kitchen as they could after having to shoulder their way through tables of questionable looking salarians and a group of batarians who eyed them with rapt interest. The restaurant, if you could call it that seemed stuck in the dark ages.

The tables were dirty and the menus were archaic; printed on paper, stained with various substances Kolyat didn't want to think too hard about. 'Something For Everyone' it declared in large, circular print beneath the restaurant's name: Fusion. The slogan was flanked by illustrations of an asari and a human on one side, and a turian and a volus on the other, all linking arms. The human's eyes had been scratched out and he'd never be able to look at asari the same way again. He could still see the character's crudely drawn new appendage when he closed his eyes.

Thane took in their surroundings, his expression not revealing any discomfort or distaste. When his gaze lit on Kolyat, he smiled. It was open, disarming, and didn't fit the man in his memory.

Sure, he had had good times with him, but couldn't remember seeing his father smile like this, or quite so much. He felt the skin on the back of his neck crawl, and he rubbed it absently.

"So do you come here often?" Thane asked, his smile unwavering as he rested his hands on the grubby table top.

A pang of guilt gnawed at Kolyat's stomach. He felt like a kid again, suddenly reminded of those times when his father had listened attentively to his tales of school and friends. He was all ears, just for him. He hadn't expected that. "I…um…"

"What'll it be?" the waitress said as she finally showed herself. If the smell from the kitchen or the filthy atmosphere hadn't turned Kolyat off the idea of eating, surely she would have.

The asari who stood before them was well into the matron stage; her face creased with wrinkles, her skin no longer a luminous shade of blue. She might have been very pretty when she was younger and she'd be attractive now if she was dressed properly. She leaned forward setting a few glasses of water on their table bringing Kolyat eye to eye with her mole flecked cleavage, spilling from a top that was clearly meant for someone less mature and less developed.

She straightened up, her body sliding back into place. There was a predatory glint in her eyes as she beheld them. Kolyat hated it when people stared.

"So, what'll It be?" she said again, her voice dripping with sweetness as she addressed them both, her gaze fixed on Thane.

"What do you suggest?" Thane asked calmly, his eyes flicking to her. He now had her undivided attention.

"Let's see," she began as she sashayed to his side of the table, her pants clinging too tightly to her broad hips and thighs. She stood behind Thane and leaned forward as she scanned the menu over his shoulder.

"Ah, here." She pointed to the bottom of the menu, her bosom resting on Thane's shoulders. The moles were drawing Kolyat in even as he fought to look away; it was like a transport wreck: no matter how horrible it was, you just had to stare.

"The Kahje tuna is good. We just some in, actually." She said straightening, her hands skimming Thane's shoulders, her nails dancing across the leather. "It's very fresh…"

Kolyat had seen a tuna fish before in a magazine he'd found in the lobby at C-Sec once. He'd even tasted it when Bailey had taken him to lunch and there was nothing on Kahje even remotely similar to a tuna fish, but he didn't want to bother their waitress with details while she was busy with throwing herself at his father. He huffed, tapping his fingers on the table top.

"Would you recommend this dish?" Thane asked Kolyat, as if they were the only two here and the asari was not running her nails along his neck. Kolyat was impressed, though he'd never admit it to him.

"Yeah, sure… whatever."

"Then I'll have that," Thane said politely as he handed the menu back to their server.

"And you?" She turned her attention on Kolyat, as if just now realizing he was there. She had that same hungry look in her eye and it felt worse than his father's attentions.

"I'll have the same," Kolyat said, as he thrust the menu in her direction, eager to send her on her way. She accepted it and headed off towards the kitchen, swaying her ample hips in an exaggerated fashion.

Kolyat shuddered while Thane didn't bat an eye.

"So," Thane began, picking up where he'd left off. "Do you eat here often?"

"No, not really," Kolyat admitted. His guard was down, whether it was because of his father putting in an earnest effort or because of their waitress, he couldn't say but he was going easier on him than he'd intended to. He'd have to work on that.

"There are so many places on the Citadel that I hardly ever eat at the same place twice." He laughed in a show of bluster he didn't truly feel.

"I see," Thane said simply, his face blank now, expressionless. Kolyat hated that look.

It was the same face he'd worn the times he'd left them alone, even at her funeral. Why didn't he show any expression half the time? Kolyat wasn't like that. They sat in silence for a while, his hands balled into fists atop his knees.

The waitress returned with their meals that neither of them felt in the mood to eat. The food tasted almost as bad as it looked. When they were done picking at their food, they left _Fusion_, much to Kolyat's relief and their waitress' disappointment.

Kolyat made a mental note to never go back there. Ever. He could still taste the "fish" when he belched, which was often, the meal not sitting well in his stomach. Thane looked a little greener than usual and Kolyat felt triumphant. Maybe they wouldn't have to go on to phase two.

"So what did you think of the place?" Kolyat asked, ready to hear his complaints so they could be done with this charade and he could hurry home to repair the damage the food had done.

Thane looked thoughtful as they walked aimlessly down one of the ward's many corridors. "I don't think the food was really tailored to a drell's palate, but at least the service was acceptable. Amaya was very attentive."

"Amaya?" Kolyat couldn't remember their waitress ever introducing herself, or displaying a name tag, though he may have been because he was too afraid to look at her long enough to find one.

"Our server," Thane said, confirming his suspicions. "She attached her name and extranet address onto our receipt." Thane said matter-of-factly. Kolyat felt a little ill.

"What's next on our agenda?"

"It's a surprise." Kolyat said, swallowing a lump in his throat. It'd be a surprise for them both.


	2. Chapter 2

While Kolyat had never actually been to The Limelight, he had heard things: Horrible things. Named after the human term for the center of public attention, this was the place to go if you had a taste for something more _exotic_ than you're standard strip club fare and the term exotic was used loosely. It could mean anything from an asari with a slight different shade of blue to an all-male nude volus review. Kolyat was sitting center stage to witness it all truly wishing he wasn't.

He didn't want anyone he knew to see him here. He'd never be able to live it down. His gaze darted around uncertainly, on the lookout for the familiar face of C-Sec officer or a neighbor, anyone who might recognize him. He knew the odds of someone catching him here were astronomical; the Citadel was huge, but this knowledge did nothing to ease his paranoia. His sipped his drink with shaking hands, that spilled it down his front.

"Shit," he murmured under his breath as he tried to blot his shirt dry with a few balled up napkins.

"Are you sure you're old enough to be drinking that?" teased the cocktail waitress who was refreshing Thane's drink.

She was a drell; a few years older than him at the most. Her scales were a dark orange, striped with bands of bright red along her shoulders and her arms, and her attire was pretty skimpy, to put it lightly. Under different circumstances, he would have tried to chat her up, but now he just wished she would go away. She wasn't making this any easier. He sipped his drink again, trying his best to ignore her. She shrugged, as she loaded the empty glasses on her tray. "I hope you guys enjoy the show. I'm Versat. Call if you need anything." She smiled again, the simple action lighting her whole face as walked off. Kolyat caught himself staring after her.

He turned back to his drink to find his father staring at him over the top of his own glass.

"What?" Kolyat asked, running a hand over his chin. Was there something on his face?

"It's nothing," Thane said, setting the glass down gently. "Are you seeing anyone?"

"W-what? What kind of question-" Kolyat sputtered, nearly spilling his drink again.

"I was merely curious," Thane replied, an amused smirk crossing his lips. "_Versat,_ was quite lovely." He gave a knowing nod, his grin growing wider by the second.

Kolyat scowled, as he sunk back in his seat. The idea of his dad checking out females, let alone the same one he was, was creepy. This part of the night was already starting off with a bang.

Suddenly the lights dimmed, casting the room into darkness. A focused circle shaped light illuminated the center of the stage where a human now stood. "Ladies and gentleman," she said, bringing the club to a loaded silence. "I'm Caroline, your master of ceremonies this evening and I'd like to welcome you to Limelight!" The crowd burst into a round of applause though Kolyat wasn't sure why.

"Since you've graced us with your presence this evening, it's obvious that you're here because you have a taste for the extraordinary. We guarantee we won't disappoint." Caroline winked, a distinctively human gesture which always struck Kolyat as odd. He decided the gesture fit Caroline because she was odd. He'd never seen a human like her before. She was shaped somewhere between a human and volus, much heavier than other humans he met up until now. Was she some sort of hybrid? Her hair was a deep red and fell in deep curls down her back.

Hair.

That was another thing that was odd about humans, he mused, still sipping his drink.

"Up first is Efferia!"

The audience clapped politely as Caroline trotted off stage as quickly as her uncomfortable looking shoes would let her.

The light went out and the crowd was hushed. Kolyat was getting tired of all this sitting in the dark. Soft music began to play and another circle of light lit the stage. There was a form crouched on top of folded legs, her head bowed and covered by her hands. From what Kolyat could see, it looked like an asari and he felt a little ill. He'd had his fill of asari for the evening. Maybe even the week.

The performer rose slowly, her hands gestured fluidly to the deep, primal beat of the music.

Suddenly the tempo picked up to a blistering pace and so did she. She leapt to her feet and threw her head back and what looked like a howl, though Kolyat didn't hear a sound other than the thrum of her feat against the floor. As she threw her head back, tendrils, long and thick cascaded over her shoulders, like human hair, but thick like lengths of rope.

She was standing now and she certainly was _exotic_, to say the least. Her costume, in shades of greens and yellows looked like it was painted on, her arms wrapped in bands of black. Her movements were wild and flaying, none of the practiced poise Kolyat had seen from asari before. This was something fierce, something savage. He was drawn in, sitting on the edge of his seat. He wanted more.

As abruptly as the performance had started, it ended. The spot light went out, the music stopped, and it was over.

The onlookers were brought to their feet, cheering for all they were worth. Some patrons had taken to throwing credit chits onto the stage, others simply seemed like they were on the verge of tears. Kolyat was too shy for any of that, so he simply clapped in his seat, rather loudly. It was one of the most evocative things he'd ever seen in his short life, and he couldn't help but be moved. He chanced a glance at his father who was clapping as well. Thane nodded in his direction and Kolyat felt naked, exposed. He quickly slumped back in his chair, trying his best to not look embarrassed.

Kolyat scowled again, ready to raise an objection, but it died on his lips.

What was the point?

Maybe he was still being affected by the beauty of the dance, or maybe it was the alcohol, but he really felt that Thane was wearing him down.

He could feel the hostility ebbing away and the longer he sat here, the more ok with it he was. Maybe he did want to spend time with his dad before… Well he hardly knew him to begin with, so getting to know him now seem more important. He was becoming more inclined to give their relation a real second chance.

"Here's your drink, Sere."

Versat had appeared at Thane's elbow with a new glass. Kolyat hadn't remembered him ordering one.

"Thank you, my dear," Thane said graciously as he accepted it with a smile. He tasted the beverage as if to prove his appreciation.

Kolyat watched as Versat hovered nearby, looking anxious, as if she had something she wanted to say, though Thane was oblivious to the whole thing.

Kolyat's teeth were set on edge. How could he be so dense? The most attractive waitress in the place is right there. Right THERE but he wouldn't give her a second look.

Would it be this way every time they went somewhere together? Kolyat forced into the background, while Thane got all of the attention? Kolyat wasn't a fan of that idea at all.

He downed the remains of his drink and slammed the glass down on the table loudly, jarring Versat from her leering. She hurried over, her tray pressed against her chest, that Kolyat noticed was a lighter shade of orange than the rest of her.

"What can I get you?" she asked, her tone of speech very friendly for a drell. Kolyat chalked it up to her line of work. Waitresses made most of their money on tips, and to get tips you had to be friendly.

"I'd like another one of these," he said holding up his empty glass and shaking it, the ice clinked against the sides as it rattled around.

"Are you sure? That was a pretty strong drink…"

She was treating him like a kid now? Compared to his dad, yeah, he was young, but so was she. He'd show her that he knew what he was doing

"Of course I'm sure," Kolyat almost snarled. "Matter of fact, make it a double."

He laughed to himself. He'd always wanted to say that, since he'd heard it in a holovid once.

"Ok," Versat sounded hesitant, but she complied.

The next few acts made Kolyat glad he had ordered that drink because there was no way he could have watched them sober. Each one was more horrific than the last: there had been an extremely flexible elcor dancer, a turian female who had mastered the art of "pole dancing" and a nude krogan male, simply standing there in all his glory, solving all of the questions people had about their anatomy that could have stayed a mystery as far as Kolyat was concerned. He'd almost cried.

The krogan had been too much. He would see his quad when he tried to go to sleep for weeks. Next up on the roster was a volus who apparently did an amazing trick with ping pong balls. Kolyat didn't know what those were, but he was pretty sure he didn't want to hang around long enough to find out.

He chanced a glance at his father and was pleased to see his normally calm façade had fallen and he looked almost as disturbed as Kolyat felt.

"Excuse me a moment," Thane said as he rose, swaying. "I'm in rest of a need-room. I should be back shortly," and he was off on shaky legs.

Kolyat raised a brow before he took stock of his father's side of the table. Versat hadn't been back for some time, but his side was littered with glasses. The same number as Kolyat's if not more… Had he been keeping up with him? They'd probably both had enough; more than enough. Once his dad got back, which would hopefully be before Madam Vocha took the stage, he was ready to call it a night. He'd figure out what to do about his father later.

He never wanted to come back here again. Hell, he might not ever want to leave his apartment again. With the images he now had associated with the other races, he wasn't sure he could walk anywhere without recalling this night.

After a while the lights dimmed again and Caroline was back on stage, significantly more clothed to Kolyat's relief, and looking very excited.

"Ladies and gentlemen," she started in her usual exuberant tone. "As some of you know, tonight is amateur night, meaning some of the braver guests among you are invited to come on stage and give us a show."

Kolyat cringed. He'd gotten a thorough look at the crowd and there was no one there that he'd want to see in the buff. He hoped Thane wouldn't be much longer; he wanted to get the hell out of there before he had anything more seared into his brain.

"Tonight you're in for a special treat," Caroline said, a mischievous gleam in her eye that came across the few overhead monitors scattered throughout the establishment.

"We found this fellow back stage and we just had to bring him out." Kolyat could hear the sounds of scuffle and see a few feet shuffling about behind the curtain. Caroline continued, unfazed.

"He's a little shy and wouldn't tell us his name, so we'll just call him 'Gorgeous'." She fanned herself dramatically and the crowd burst into peals of laughter. Kolyat's fingers dug into the arm of his chair, unable to shake the feeling of dread worming its way into his gut.

"I give you, 'the drell!""

Kolyat's worst fears were realized as Thane was pushed through the curtains by a pair of krogan sized hands and stripped of his jacket. The crowed was in awed silence as Thane did no more than stand here, a hand thrown out in front of him in attempt to keep the light from his eyes. He seemed disoriented. Kolyat had never seen his father drink so much, but he was usually a very pragmatic man. Surely he had enough sense in him to leave the stage before a bad situation got a lot worse.

"What have you got for us?" came a shout from somewhere behind Kolyat. He'd throw his glass at them if he thought it'd hit them but he was too drunk to count on that.

Thane looked around a moment, at something off stage before answering, "What would you have me do?" The crowd was set atwitter as his voice boomed over the loud speakers.

"Take it off!" was the simplest response from a group of humans down front. Kolyat was mortified. He kept praying silently to no one in particular that he dad was not that drunk.

But it was all in vain. "As you wish…"

The room was quiet enough to hear his zipper being lowered as the crowd waited, the air almost vibrating with anticipation. Kolyat definitely didn't want to watch, but he was too petrified to leave. He didn't want anyone to see him, and associate him with the man who was now on stage. Thane turned, slowly easing his vest over his shoulders and down his arms, displaying the stripes that ran from the nape of his neck to the top of his pants. The house erupted into "oohs" and "aahs" as he clasped his hands behind his head, sending a ripple through the muscles in his back. Kolyat felt lightheaded. He was seeing more of his father than he'd ever wanted to and he seemed very at home doing it. Had he done this before? He stared down at his lap, feeling his dinner trying to move its presence known incase he'd forgotten about it.

_Maybe he'll stop now? Now? No? How about NOW?_

He mustered up the courage to look towards the stage his father was mostly disrobed, down to what passed for his undergarments. The audience was agog as the last remaining scrap of clothing he had seemed like it wouldn't be around much longer. Thane's thumbs tucked into the waist band as he teased it down over a very defined hip.

It was weird that he was more intimidating this way than he'd ever been just sitting and staring at him. His body was a mass of corded muscle and sinew that Kolyat had yet to achieve, if he would ever. Sure Kolyat was taller and he had more mass, but he hadn't undergone the rigorous training under the compact so he might never look… quite like that. Or bear the scars. He was sickened, envious and embarrassed all at once. How much longer could he drag this out?

The briefs were almost at the point of no return, now low enough to display a gathering of stripes that wrapped around his hips to the front of his pelvis that seemed to being pointing downward. That was Kolyat's cue to exit. He'd had more than enough, let these people think what they wanted, he had to go. He made a break for the door, shouldering through the patrons who were now on their feet, shouting and hooting towards the stage.

He barreled through the bouncers, and rounded the corner, their curses in his wake. He was definitely going to be sick. He doubled over and felt his stomach lurch as he emptied its contents onto the street.

He swore he'd never mix bad food, alcohol and trauma together again. Ever. He spat, hands braced on his knees as he hoped the worst of it was over. He didn't envy who ever had to clean that up.

"Are you ok?" He felt a small hand on his back and he stiffened. This night just got better and better. He didn't speak, and didn't turn around, hoping she'd go away and save him any further embarrassment.

"I told you to slow down," Versat said as she patted him on the back. Kolyat turned to her, wiping his mouth on the back of his hand. She grimaced as she handed him a damp dishcloth. "I thought you might need this."

"Thanks," he mumbled, too mortified to make eye contact, trying to wipe his mouth as discretely as possible.

"Don't mention it." She laughed, but Kolyat just stared down at his shoes. "Oh come on, I was just teasing." She said as she stroked his arm before promptly punching it. "Don't look so down."

"How'd you look if that was your dad up there?" he said indignantly, rubbing his arm.

"That was your dad? Wow…" her eyes glazed over as she was no doubt putting that perfect recall to use.

"An inability to hold your liquor must run in the family."

"Here," Kolyat said as he thrust the dishrag back at her, not knowing what else to do with it and eager to not talk about what had just happened for a bit.

Versat folded it up and promptly threw it in to the alley. "So what are you doing in a place like this anyway? You obviously don't have the stomach for it."

"I-uh…." What could he say? It was all part of a plan to try to alienate _dying_ his father but ended up blowing up in his face? On top of which, he was starting to feel like a real bastard about the whole thing? "I was curious…?"

"Right…"she nodded, though her expression said that she clearly wasn't buying any of it.

Kolyat looked over her shoulder in time to see Thane exiting the club. He was headed right for him, his clothes in disarray, credit chits shaking loose from his jacket and falling to the ground.

Without so much as a goodbye, he took off running, wanting to put as much distance between them as possible.

He heard them calling him, but he didn't care. He needed a minute to collect himself and he couldn't do that with him hovering around, no doubt offering excuses that he just didn't want to hear. Not now. Not yet.

The night had not gone how he'd planned at all, and it had done was create more problems and confusion. He was confused. Did he truly want his dad to go? For him to fade into nothing without ever really know him? For it to be as if Thane Krios has never existed as more than just a name? Could he forgive him for what happened to his mother? He felt like he should, like he had to. But he was still made, still torn up. He needed to think.

Kolyat took off like a shot into the bustling traffic of Bachjret Ward, and like that, he was gone.


	3. Chapter 3

Expel 10 sucked. There was no nice way to say it.

The music was flat, no real rhythm, just noise, but Kolyat knew that already. It had been the motivation to buy these tickets in the first place. It was getting hard to tell if it was the fans or the performers screaming shrilly and it was making his head hurt, but he had no place to go.

_The Rut_ was a dive bar, deep in the lower wards were the seedier, unseemly element of the Citadel dwelled. The grizzled human bartender, a patch covering one of his eyes cast him an annoyed, cyclopic glare, while cleaning out a mug.

He'd said Kolyat had to buy something to sit there, what more did he want? He didn't even want to be here in the first place, which was turning out to be the theme of the night, but he wasn't ready to go home. He didn't know where else to go.

He'd just kept running, running until his lungs burned, his legs were sore. When he'd finally slowed down, his feet had brought him here. He had the tickets on him, so he went inside. It seemed as good a place as any. The occupants were thankfully, too enthralled by the "music" to pay him much attention and he was able to just blend in without incident.

Kolyat traced his fingers in the condensation gathered on his glass of water. Since he'd gotten here, he'd been doing a lot of thinking… What did he know about his father? It had been nagging him all night and the more he thought about it, the more he realized how little he knew.

Thane was a busy man, always away on business. No, that wasn't right. He was away on assignments; taking lives for money. That didn't seem to gibe with the man from his memories. He'd been a quiet man, who kept to himself, but that didn't keep him from showing kindness to others. Somehow those things didn't seem to go hand-in-hand.

He knew he loved his mother, to the point of spending part of the last decade hunting down those who had taken her life and that was the extent of his knowledge. He knew there had to be more to the man than that, but he wasn't sure he wanted to hear it.

What had it been like growing up under the hanar's tutelage? Not really knowing more than how to complete the task they set before him? Not having a choice? What about the scars? Those seemed to bother him more than anything else. Had he gotten them during his training? On a job? Injuries too serious to be healed completely with medi-gel, yet he'd never seen them before tonight. Surely his mother had to have seen them.

Kolyat was assaulted by the memory of his parents lying together on one of the rare occasions when he had walked on them. He'd been too young at the time to understand what was going on, but that did nothing to shield his mind from it now.

His mother had told him later, that it was a way adults had expressed loved for one another.

_Love._His mother had loved Thane very much; and despite his frequent absence, he seemed like he loved her, too. If hunting down her killers wasn't a show of devotion, albeit a violent one, he wasn't sure what was.

_Violent._That wasn't a word he would have associated with his father until now. He'd never been quick to anger or prone to act against another which made this that much tougher to wrap his mind around.

Did the man he thought he knew, that he grew up hating, even really exist? He rested his forehead against the heels of his upturned hands, looking down into the glass of water that rippled with the stomping of the concert goers' feet. The bartender cleared his throat loudly, glaring at Kolyat again.

"This ain't no sittin' room, kid," he said though the other stools stood empty. Kolyat huffed, without lifting his head to look at him. "You have any Tupari back there?"

"What do I look like, a vending machine?" the human grumbled, even as he produced a can and emptied it into a glass.

He slammed it down beside the abandoned water before he moved on to wipe down the rest of the counter.

_Rude._

He sipped at his drink, his mind still spinning the same circles when he felt someone plop down in the seat beside him. He knew who it was without even looking.

"How'd you find me?"

"It's part of what I do. You didn't make it very hard."

No, he supposed he wouldn't have.

"Do you _like_ this music?" Thane asked, visibly bothered by the shrieking of the lead singer.

"No, not really. I was just going to bring you hear because I thought you wouldn't like it."

"Hmm," Thane said, hailing the bartender. "You'd be right in that assumption. I can't say that I care for it."

Kolyat shrugged. One thing would go right after he stopped caring about that objective.

"Am I correct in assuming that that was the plan for this evening: for me to not enjoy myself?"

He didn't answer, staring down into his glass again. It sounded stupid when you said it out loud like that.

Thane was quiet and from the corner of his eye, Kolyat could see him trying to regain some semblance of his former self. "Why?" Thane asked gently, his voice trying to hide the hurt he felt, like when they'd first spoke after the assassination attempt.

The simple question stabbed at Kolyat, making him feel foolish all over again. He had been childish, immature. He knew that, but he wasn't sure how else he should act.

"I was angry with you, ok? I wanted you to just… Leave me alone. How do you just show up after ten years and tell me you're the reason mom is gone and that you're going to-going to…"

He cleared his throat to stave off the sob he could feel creeping up on him. "I thought it might have been better if you'd never shown yourself to me at all."

Thane was silent again. Kolyat hadn't meant for it to sound that harsh, but it was true. He'd asked him, so now he was just telling him the truth.

"But," he started again, his eyes still focused on the bar. "When I look at you, I remember mom and all the times you made her smile when you were with her. She loved you and despite everything she always forgave you for leaving… and making her cry and I feel like I could too." His voice a whisper, almost too embarrassed to get the words out.

He'd said his piece, though he wasn't sure what happened next. They sat in silence, Kolyat nervously pondering the underside of his fingernails.

"Thank you," was the soft reply.

* * *

Thane had insisted on seeing him home even though he was far worse off. He was having trouble walking in a straight line as they made their way to the taxi stand.

"Do you usually drink like that?" He could remember there being liquor in the house on special occasions or when they had company, but he never saw his father drink.

"No. Not at all," Thane said, trying to hold onto his balance, and failing miserably at it. "I thought if I was a little…" he paused, uncharacteristically at a loss for the words.

"Drunk?" Kolyat aided.

"No… _Relaxed_. If I was a bit more relaxed, it might be easier for you to talk with me."

"Yeah, well you _relaxed_ yourself right out of your clothes."

"In hindsight, it wasn't the most well thought out plan. I apologize if my actions embarrassed you." He sounded apologetic, making Kolyat felt uncomfortable again. He'd only gotten as good as he gave.

"About that… Where did you learn to _do_ that?" Stripping hardly seemed like it would be on the list of things an assassin should know. If he wanted to get to know him, it seemed like as good a place as any to start.

Thane was quiet a moment, as if trying to measure his words. "Well… I was recalling a time with your mother. We were newly married and she asked me to-"

"That's enough!" It was more than enough. He didn't need any more trauma this evening. "Don't worry about it. I'll probably never see any of those people again if I'm lucky."

"That makes two of us," Thane agreed. They'd both laughed at how terrible the evening turned out.

"Ah, I have something for you: A souvenir," Thane said as he stopped in his tracks. He patted his pants that looked pocket-less from where Kolyat was standing. He shook his coat in his search, loosening a few stray credit chits. Finally, he produced a folded up napkin from the depths of his coat and offered it to the younger drell who simply stared at it.

"Uh, thanks..?"

"Read it."

He warily unfolded the paper. It was from _Limelight_, more specifically, Versat. She'd scrawled her comm frequency and extranet mail address in large, bubbly handwriting.

"She was very insistent that I get this to you," Thane nodded knowingly as he swayed in place. "She really was a nice girl."

"Yeah."

Kolyat wrapped his arms around Thane's ribs, steadying him."Let's get you back to the Normandy."

* * *

The ship was still docked as far as Thane could tell, the engines idle.

He was back in life support, on his cot after having been deposited here by Kolyat. What a shameful evening, and he was paying for it now. His tongue felt dry and rough. His head throbbed so much that his vision almost blurred.

He sat up; the simple motion set his skull ablaze with fresh pain, sending waves of agony from his eyes on back. He shuffled slowly over to the table, steadying himself on the back of his chair as he searched for his mug, to wash the taste of the previous night from his mouth, when he noticed the alert light on his omnitool was blinking. He had a message.

He engaged its interface, blinking at the brightness of the screen in the darkened room and was met with a mailbox full of info pushes, people forwarding small data packets containing their contact information, some had brief messages attached. After reading the first few, Thane decided it would be best to deactivate the receptive feature and delete the messages as soon as his head stopped vexing him.

He skimmed a bit more and there, amongst the clutter of unwanted sexual advances was a push from Kolyat.

_Dad,_

_Just thought you'd want my home extranet addy and comm info so you can contact me directly and not through Bailey. Sorry about last night, but I still had fun. We should try again soon._

_-K_

Thane couldn't stop the smile that crept across his features. They had made progress.


End file.
